The provincial government says three more cases of the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom (U.K.), have been confirmed in Saskatchewan.
Two of the cases are in the Regina zone and one is in the north west zone, according to the Roy Romanow Provincial Laboratory (RRPL). One was previously announced last month as a presumptive case of B1.1.7 in a person who was transferred from out of province.
The province now has a total of nine confirmed variant-of-concern cases.
Saskatchewan added one coronavirus-related death for a total of 399, the provincial government said on Monday. The recently deceased who tested positive for COVID-19 was reported in their 60s and from the Saskatoon zone, according to a press release.
According to the government on Monday, there were 97 new cases with the overall infection total in Saskatchewan now at 29,806. The new seven-day average of daily cases is down from 152 to 144, day-over-day.
The province’s hospitals are currently providing care for 140 patients with COVID-19 — 117 are receiving inpatient care and 23 are in intensive care.
Active cases, which are total cases minus recoveries and deaths, now sit at 1,463 in Saskatchewan, according to the press release.
The number of people who have recovered from the virus has grown to a total of 27,944 following 151 more recoveries, provincial health officials said.
According to the press release, 1,753 COVID-19 tests were performed on March 7. To date, 595,869 tests have been carried out in the province.
A total of 28,022 second doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Saskatchewan, provincial government officials said.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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